Return to Alfheim
by Yui-kitten
Summary: Yui has always been strange, with weird powers nobody else has. Soon, she finds out more about what she is, which makes her even more curious about her father, who she has never met before. Eventually, she stumbles across a strange world, a world she had only heard about from her mothers stories. AU (There is an updated version available)
1. Chapter 1: Yui's curiosity

**Return to Alfheim**

 **AN: This is a AU story, so Alfheim will be a real place, not in game. Alfheim and the human world will be separated by a portal, that will be explained more later. This story will be told from Yui's point of view, and will feature a lot of her mom** , **Asuna, as well. Kirito will have a very minor focus ar first,** but **will show up later. I'm writing this from my iPod touch, so the formating might be weird, so apologies for that. Asuna will be human in this story, so Yui will be half and half. Yui will be their biological daughter, not virtual, as the games don't exist here. If you have any questions or recommendations, that would be good. Thanks for reading.**

Chapter one: Yui's curiosity

Yui looked as the rain fell from her bedroom window. The sky took on a gray color, the clouds looking ominous. Still, it was her favorite weather, as long as there was no thunder. The thunder was what scared her.

The rain, falling heavily, made a comforting thunk as it hit her window. It reminded her of when she was younger, and she used to be scared of it, her mom would always cuddle her and comfort her through it. Eventually, she grew out of her fear of the rain, but kept her fear of thunder. Now, rain by itself reminded her of her moms comforting scent and soft hair.

Yui thought back to an earlier time, when she was about six, and the story her mother told her. The rain was hammering outside, and there was a faint sound of thunder in the distance. The sky was pitch black, and the power had went out hours earlier, the room lit by a few candles.

She had been to scared to sleep, so her mother had made her special hot chocolate, and began stroking Yui's hair, telling her a pleasant story about Alfheim.

Yui listened intently, about the pixies, the world tree, and all the creatures that lived there.

"The world tree was right in the middle of Alfheim, and was gigantic, you could be a thousand miles away and still see it." Mama told her, "Still, it was very beautiful, the whole world was."

Then her mom showed her a book, which had a very beautiful illustration of the world tree in it. "This is almost exactly what It looked like, though it doesn't do real justice to the beauty of it, and how the sunlight flickered through the leaves."

Yui had asked her mom where she got the book, with the illustration.

"It was in with your fathers stuff..." Yui's mom trailed off. Mama always seemed distant whenever Yui's papa was brought up. Mama blinked twice. "Anyways, you should be getting to bed, the rain sounds like it's slowing down."

Her mother laid down on the couch with her and began stroking her hair again. Yui couldn't help but be a bit disappointed, her mother never talked about her dad longer than she had to, she had hoped that maybe her mom would tell her more tonight. But the warmth of the blanket, and the feel of her moms fingers through her hair, soon sent her to sleep.

It had been over two years since then and her mother had refused to speak any thing more about her dad, so she couldn't help but be a bit curious. Still, she had great mom, who always comforted and listened to her, so she didn't feel she was missing out too much.

'Maybe he's dead and that's why mama doesn't like to talk about him' Yui thought to herself. It made her feel guilty for being curious. Of course it would be difficult for her mother to talk about her father, if that was the case. So, Yui buried any lingering questions she might have about him, in case it upsets her mom.

Yui sighed, and moved away from the window. She debated whether to read a book, for it was still quite early, the sky only looking dark from the rain. She gave up on reading though, her mind too distracted to pick up any words, and decided to rest her mind a bit

With the sound of the rain, the warmth of blanket, and the memory of her moms scent, Yui soon calmed down and fell asleep.

~RTA-YC~

"Yui-chan? Yui-chan, wake up!"

Yui groaned as her moms voice woke her. Though her mom had a very lovely voice, it didn't make waking up any easier.

"If you're not up in five minutes, I'm tossing water on you!" Her mom threatened, her words not matching her kindhearted voice.

"I'm up! I'm up!" Yui exclaimed, raising up in a hurry.

"Oh, so you actually managed to wake up this time?" Her mom questioned her as she left the room, chestnut hair trailing behind her, leaving the smell of her pear-scented shampoo.

Yui grumbled, as she got up to make her bed. Sighing as she finished, she exited the room, went down the hall to the bathroom, and took her shower.

As she finished up in the bathroom, she heard her mom say, "I laid your clothes out on the bed, tell me if you need anything else!"

Yui rolled her eyes at her mothers concern. Her mom never let her leave the house without making sure she had everything she needed, checking and double checking what was in her backpack. Yui's teachers always questioned how she carried her bag, remarking on how heavy it was. "What exactly is in it?" they asked, a trace if concern in there voice, clearly wondering how she was carrying something almost half her weight.

'Oh, just a first aid kit, an umbrella, my lunch, a second lunch in case I lose the first one, a flashlight, a cellphone with my mothers number on it, and about twenty other things!' Yui thought to herself. Okay, so maybe it didn't have that much stuff in it, but still, her mother liked her to be prepared.

Yui quickly got dressed, and stepped in front of the mirror in the hall. Scowling, she noticed her elf ears were out. She closed her closed her eyes and concentrated, eventually there was a flash of blue light, and a mysterious feeling washing through her body. She opened her eyes again and saw she was in her human form again.

Her elf form had an annoying habit of coming out when she slept. If she was just staying home that would be okay, but she was going to school, where the ears and the wings would definitely stand out.

Yui pondered her reflection for a second. She had long, dark hair, the same shape and length as her mothers, eyes, which she always thought were to big for her head, almost as dark as her hair, and long eyelashes. Yui's mother always told her she looked a lot like her father.

"You look a lot like your dad," her mother had told her, " Except for the length of your hair, and the longer eyelashes, and the pouty lips," Yui had pouted at being called pouty, which made her mother grin.

Now, as Yui examined herself in the mirror, she thought about her mothers words. Sure,she wore her hair like her moms, and she had her full lashes and lips, but other than that she didn't really resemble her mom that much, though her mom always insisted that she looks just like her. It made her wonder what her dad truly looked like, and if she really looked like him.

"Yui! Breakfast!" Her mom called from the kitchen.

"Coming!" She called, grabbing her backpack on the way downstairs.

The kitchen had a very warm, welcoming feel, and it always smelled nice, from all the nice food her mother was always making. It was a place you could feel right at home in, though god bless you if you got her mothers way when she was cooking. The cabinets were a warm brown, the stovetop being a clean white.

Yui sat down at the table and chairs, sitting her backpack on the ground beside her. The tablecloth was a gentle pink color, which Yui's mom had dubbed 'fairy pink'

Yui looked at the plate her mother sat in front of her, "Hmm, eggs, bacon, and toast? Not very original for you mom," she teased her mother.

Her mother kissed her forehead. "Well, with it being your first day of second grade, I decided to play it safe." Tears seemed to fill her moms chestnut brown eyes at the reminder she was already in the second grade.

Yui was quick to distract her, "Well, whatever it is it tastes great as always, mom!" Yui's mom was always able to make an otherwise boring meal into something that tasted like it was made by a five star chef.

That seemed to cheer her mother up. "Well, good! As long as your full until lunchtime!"

That made Yui roll her eyes. She swore her mother thought she was going to starve if she didn't have food in her mouth constantly. It was a good thing that her moms cooking was so tasty.

Her mother hummed as she fluttered around the kitchen, cleaning and putting away stuff as she went.

When Yui was done with her food, she got up to wash her plate.

"I've got it!" her mom beamed at her, "I'll clean up today, as a present for your first day of second grade!"

Yui smiled at her mother. "It would only take a second mom."

Her mother waved her along, "it's fine, then let me check your backpack and make sure you have everything you need."

Yui groaned sensing that another five pounds were going to be added to it.

After her mother was satisfied, they headed outside to the car, and went off to Yui's school.

Her mom paused her as she was about to head inside. Her hazel eyes looked stormy.

"Yui, promise me you'll be safe? Never leave mommy, ok?" Her moms gentle voice was full of concern. Though this question was asked a lot, the worry in her voice never lessened.

The way her mom always asked her to be safe, and the way she made her promise not to leave made Yui wonder if her dad really was dead. Her heart ached for her mother, unable to imagine her grief if so. She couldn't comprehend how it would be, losing the love of her life - for her father appeared to be it for her mother, as she still had a longing look in her eyes whenever she spoke of him - and having to send her only daughter away everyday, who looked just like him, with the intense fear of losing her the same way. It must be terrible on her mother, the worry being in the back of her mind, having to focus on her work.

She remembered an incident, when she had injured her wings the night before, she had decided to force herself to attend school, even as the pain made her want to vomit. She had eventually gave up, and practically crawled to the nurses office, begging to go home. The nurse had called her moms work number so Yui could talk to her, and put it on speaker phone. The amount of panic in her mothers voice when the school nurse had said, 'Yui is in a lot of pain, could you come get her?' had made her wish she had put up with her injury.

"Of course I'll be safe mama, and of course I'll come home, you know I'd miss your cooking too much! I'll be fine!" Yui made her words teasing, hoping to make her mom feel mote at ease.

Her mother smiled, "Alright Yui, as long as you come home, mama will always have the best meals waiting for you!" Her mother sounded slightly happier, though still a bit worried. She wished she knew the right words to say to her mother, to get her not to worry.

"You know I'm just teasing mama, of course I'd miss you, and not your meals! I love you, mommy." Though she would miss her moms snacks as well. The 'mommy' was to get to her moms sweet side. She tried not to say 'mommy' too much anymore, trying to appear older, but she knew her mom loved to hear it.

That seemed to cheer her mother up finally. "I love you too, Yui. So much. Alright, head in to school now! I don't want to make you late." Her mother still sounded like she'd rather Yui stay home, but she hoped she'd be okay.

Yui took one last good look at her mothers beautiful face, and went in.

~RTA,YC~

Mrs. Raye, her teacher, finished up the story she was telling them. "Now, that we're done with the chapter, why don't we talk about ourselves a little?"

She had them say their name and something about themselves.

A boy with red hair said, "I'm Kaito, my favorite colors red, and I want to surf like my older brother someday." Kaito told them about all the trophies his brother had won.

One by one the introduced themselves, then a girl to the right of Yui said her name was Yuki.

"Um, my names Yuki, I like to draw, um, I like to dance, I guess, um, and also I live in a orphanage." Her words quieted down at that last part.

"Thats very nice," Mrs Raye said, and asked what she liked to draw.

Yui thought about what the girl had said, how she lived in an orphanage. That meant her parents were likely dead. It made Yui wonder about her own dad, and if he was alive, or not.

'If he was alive, then where was he?' She wondered. What caused him to leave? Surely it had nothing to do with her friendly and kindhearted mom. She couldn't see anybody, ever, being angry with her. Maybe it was because of Yui herself. Maybe he didn't want a daughter, and decided to leave her mom because of it. That made Yui feel incredibly guilty. Of course her mother would have and take care of her at the cost of her own happiness. That's just the type of person she was.

As Yui tried to ignore the direction her thoughts had taken her, she noticed the teacher was calling her name.

"Yui? You seem distracted, do you mind telling us about yourself?"

"Oh! Sorry, um, my names Yui, I like reading stories, sleeping, and eating mamas food!"

Her teacher seemed amused by her. "Well, that's nice Yui, does anybody else have something to say?"

A couple of other kids spoke up, and then bell rang, signaling recess.

Mrs. Raye led them outside, to the playground, bext to the school. It was the traditional playground, with swings, a slide, and monkey bars.

Yui's favorite thing to play on was the swing, but it reminded her of a bad memory, of before she was in school.

~RTA,YC~

Yui was only four, and she didn't yet understand that most people didn't have elf ears, or wings. She knew her mother told her to keep them hidden but she didn't quite understand why. Yui thought It was just something rare, not strange, or weird, or something that could put her in trouble.

Yui had gone to the swings, while her mom sat on a park bench a little ways away. She noticed a red haired boy on the swing beside her.

Yui launched herself off the ground, the chains on her swing clattering a bit. As she got into the motions of swinging, she was soon going higher than the boy next to her.

"Hey! How are you going so high? I'm never able to get that high up!" The red headed boy next to her asked.

"I don't know, just swing your legs like this!" Yui kicked her feet, and went a little higher.

"I can't!" The boy exclaimed, looking frustrated.

"Well, I don't know, it's easy for me!" Yui yelled to him. And it was, she felt she could go even higher, if she wanted to.

The boy made a sound of annoyance, as he kicked his legs out.

Yui continued swinging for a couple more minutes, then did her favorite 'trick'.

Looking back to make sure her mother wasn't paying attention to her, she jumped off the swing. But she didn't fall down immediately. Instead she floated for a while, and gently landed on her feet, much slower than she should have. She looked around and saw that nobody was looking. Only the boy next to her saw.

"Hey, what was that!" He shouted. "You looked like you were flying for a second!"

Yui immediately looked behind her to her mom. She didn't know why she had to keep her wings hidden, only that her mother told her to. But technically she hadn't used them, and had instead used her 'feelings' to fly for a bit. Yui sometimes got these 'feelings', like a warmth flowing through her, that made her able to do special things, things her mom couldn't when the cookie jar had been to high for her to reach, and she hadn't been able to fly that high up, she gad used the 'warmth', and the jar had gently floated down. Yui's mother hadn't understood how she got it down at first till Yui had told her. Yui's mom had told her to only do that at home. But she didn't understand why.

Couldn't somebody else do this? Maybe it was a rare ability, and other people would get sad or jealous that they couldn't do it, and that's why her mom said not to do it in public.

It was just like her mother to consider other people's feelings, maybe it would be okay if she told one person.

"If I concentrate really hard, I can sort of float off the ground a little bit, watch!" Yui pushed the 'warm feeling' to her feet, and hovered above the ground by a few inches.

The boys eyes got wide. "How are you doing that?!" He demanded.

"I don't know I was always able to do this, just try to search for this warm or tingly feeling, and push yourself up." She explained.

The boy slowed the swing and stood up, and tried to follow Yui's directions. But no matter how hard he tried, or Yui tried to help him, he couldn't do it. Yui tried to show him how to levitate a rock instead, thinking it would be easier than his body, but he couldn't do that either.

"Well, whatever then, you must be a freak, nobody else can do that, you're probably just evil or something!" He yelled at her, and pushed her down, then ran off to see his mom.

Yui's eyes filled with tears, he gad seemed so nice at first, she didn't mean to upset him.

"Yui!" Her mom called, having seen her daughter get shoved by the angry boy. "Did he hurt you!? I'm so sorry, mommy should have been watching better."

"It's okay mom, I tried to show him how to float in the air, and he got angry that he couldn't do it too." Tears were falling down Yui's face, and her sentence was interrupted by hiccups.

Asuna's face went pale. "Yui! I told you not to show anybody! We have to leave right now!"

She grabbed Yui's arm hurriedly rushed towards the parking lot.

As they were getting in the car, Yui heard the boy who pushed her yelling to his mom.

"She was lifting a rock up with her mind, and was flying in the air, she must be a witch or something!"

Yui heard the boys mom tell her son that of course witches didn't exist and that he must of imagined it.

Yui tuned them out, and her mom drove them home.

As her mom unlocked the door Yui began rushing upstairs, when her mom stopped her.

"Yui, you can never show anybody that again, alright? Only at home and in front of mama, okay?"

Yui sniffled a little and said, "I understand mom, I won't do it again, I didn't expect anyone to get angry at me."

Asuna smiled sadly at her daughter, "it's not just that people will get angry, it's that somebody could hurt you because of it. Nobody else can do it, as far as they know, and they might try to hurt you, and take you away from mama because of it."

Yui was shocked, "I thought that people would just be jealous I didn't think they would try to take me away from you!"

Her mother looked sad, "unfortunately, most people wouldn't just be jealous, they might be afraid, and fear makes people act horrible sometimes. So you must never do that in public again, alright?"

"I understand, mom!" Yui's mom didn't act mad, but she never took her to that park again. Yui stopped being so excited about her powers.

~RTA,YC~

Yui shook her head, now was not the time to think of that, she knew better than to show people now, so nobody had any reason to hate her.

She decided to try the monkey bars, for now, so headed over to them. Looking over at them she saw the other girl in her class, Yuki, who lived in an orphanage, standing by them.

Yuki's hair was a strange shade of black, looking almost purple. She was wearing a blue dress and white sandals.

"Hey!" Yui introduced herself.

Yuki looked surprised someone was talking to her. "Oh! Hey."

"I'm Yui. You're Yuki, right?" Yui decided to tell her her name again, in case she forgot.

"Oh, yeah I'm Yuki, did you need something?" Yuki, for some odd reason, looked like Yui was going to yell at her.

"No, I was just wondering did you want to be friends?"

Yuki looked shocked at her words again. "Are you sure!?"

"Of course."

"Um, okay then." She said shyly.

They played together the rest of recess.

~RTA,YC~

The rest of the day was quite uneventful. Her mother of course made her tell her all about her day, even if nothing happened, and all about the friends she had made, and made snide comments on the lunch the school had provided, stating she would make it from now on. Yui was now getting ready for bed time.

She brushed her teeth, and changed into her nightgown. She thought about her new friends, and what school would be like tomorrow.

Yui soon fell asleep.

~RTA,YC~


	2. Chapter 2: School Days

**AN: Again sorry for the formatting, it's awkward uploading from an iPod touch. Thanks for reading.**

School days

Yui woke up the next morning, without her mothers prodding. She could hear light rain hitting the roof. Faint rustling could be heard from the kitchen.

She considered going back to sleep, but she remembered her new found friend, Yuki, and grew excited for school.

Yui got up and left her room, yelling to her mother that she was getting ready. A warm shower, and clean teeth later, she got dressed in the clothes her mom had laid out for her.

Heading down to the kitchen, the smell of maple syrup permeated the air. Her mother was working over the stove, her chestnut hair in a bun, and her cinnamon eyes sparkling.

"Smells good, mom." Yui commented, before sitting down at the table, and pouring herself a drink.

"Thanks honey! Did you pack everything you need for school?" Her mom asked as she made Yui's plate for her.

"Yes, mom." Yui rolled her eyes at her mother, before taking a bite out of her pancakes. Mmm, with blueberry bits just the right size, and the right amount of syrup, the pancakes tasted heavenly. As always, no corrections needed to be made on her mothers meal.

"I'm just making sure, do you remember what happened last time, and you forgot your project for school?" Her mother raised her eyebrow at her.

Mama had had to leave work early, and pick it up from home, before dropping it off at Yui's school. That wouldn't have been so bad by itself, but Asuna's job at the time had been fragile at the time, and if she lost it Yui and her would be on the streets. Yui didn't have any family besides her mom, not any that she had met anyways, so there was nobody to give them a place to stay, or help them out if her mom lost her place of work. One more missed day, and she would lose her job. Luckily, her mom had found somewhere else to work, that was a lot more understanding of her changing schedule.

"I know, mom." Yui quieted down at the reminder, thinking about how sad her mother had been back then.

Her mothers job hadn't paid well, and with no husband or family to help, with bills or groceries, or other necessities, they often went hungry. Utilities were also shut semi-often. They were always paid off as soon as she could though. Yui's mom often went hungry, choosing to feed Yui over herself. With a horribly paying job, that didn't pay for bills or food properly, let alone anything else, it was hard to stay positive.

"What are you frowning about? You're going to make me nervous about sending you to school." Yui's mother sounded anxious.

"It's fine, mama." Yui waved her mother off. Asuna's boss might be more agreeable than the last, but she still couldn't afford to leave work often.

"Well, cheer up then, otherwise mommy will worry about you."

Yui pushed her bad thoughts away and beamed at her mother. "Did you make me lunch for today? Or will i have to get the school lunch?"

"Of course! It will be much healthier than the lunch the school provides, and will taste better, too!"

Yui didn't really care about the 'healthier' part, she only cared about the 'tastes good' part.

"That sounds nice, mom." Yui finished the rest of her breakfast, then was rushed to the car by her mother.

~RTA,SD~

Being only the second day of the school year, no real class work was done, instead it was only introductions and easy reminders of the things they had learnt the previous year. They were given a worksheet, with instructions to complete what they could, testing what they had absorbed from last year. It wasn't supposed to be completed, but Yui almost got finished with hers. Her friend, Yuki, came second.

"Alright! We're done with that for now." Her teacher, Mrs. Raye told the class.

"But I wasn't finished, yet!" A boy sitting across from Yui exclaimed.

The teacher smiled kindly at him. "You are supposed to finish what you can, you aren't meant to complete it all."

Still, Yui frowned, if she had had a few more minutes she probably could have finished it. Yui might not look like it, but she was actually quite competitive, something she had got from her mother. She decided that completing most of it was good enough.

The bell rung, dismissing them for recess.

Yui thought, being one of the last ones out, that Yuki had gone on ahead of her, but she was standing on the edge of the playground, looking unsure.

"Hey, Yuki! Did you want to play together again today?"

Yuki looked startled for a second, before looking relieved "I wasn't sure if you would want to play with me, I'm really shy sometimes, so I don't have many friends."

"That's okay, I don't really have many friends, either." Yui wasn't shy, per se, but she hadn't exactly been encouraged to make friends since that day on the swing set.

She never had trouble making friends, but she struggled with keeping them. Always becoming sad she couldn't share all her secrets with them, she pushed them all away eventually, even if she tried not to. Maybe, making friends with Yuki would be the good, fresh start she needed to keeping friends, finally.

They headed over to the swings and tried to see who could go higher. Yuki actually won that one.

They settled down to a slow pace, and began talking about their family.

"Well, I don't have a dad, but my moms pretty awesome, she works as a florist, so our house always smells good from all the flowers and stuff she brings home. She's a really good cook and can make anything taste delicious, even healthy food. She has a really nice voice, so she's always good at telling me stories and singing me to sleep. She always knows how to make me feel better. Other than that I don't have any other family." Yui felt guilty, suddenly remembering that Yuki didn't have any family not even a loving mom.

Yuki looked happy at Yui's words, however. "Your mom sounds nice, I don't really have a mom figure, but Ami, one of the caretakers, is always nice to me, she paid special attention to me when I was sick, and made sure I was alright. She always acts concerned over everybody living at the orphanage, even the other caretakers."

Yui was glad she didn't seem upset.

They ate together at lunch time, and Yui shared some of the food her mother made her. That seemed to cheer Yuki up, who was used to the food the orphanage provided, and the unsatisfying, in comparison, school lunches.

The rest of the school day past uneventfully, with no homework to be done, not that Yui was complaining.

Near the parking lot of the school, Yui tried to introduce Yuki to her mother.

"No, thanks, Yui, I don't have enough time right now. Caretaker Ami waiting for me." Yuki pointed to where she was.

Yui thought she looked more nervous to meet her mother, not that she didn't have enough time.

"Okay, well, if you're sure?" Yui asked her.

"Maybe another day." Yuki ran off to her caretaker.

It began lightly drizzling rain, so Yui's mother was quick to get her under an umbrella, like she would catch a cold immediately if she didn't.

"Did you have a nice day at school? Who was that girl you were talking to?" Her mother asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.

She told her mother about her day, and about her friend on the way home. As soon as they got home, on exiting the care Yui was immediately covered by the umbrella again. She sighed at her mothers concern, as they went inside.

"Tomorrow I'm going to make lunch for your new friend, okay?" Asuna seemed proud when Yui told her Yuki liked her cooking.

Yui thought of Yuki's awkwardness at the end of school. "I don't know, she might get embarrassed, I'm sure she gets a lot of pity for living in an orphanage, it might upset her."

Her mother frowned. "Well, I'll just make sure your lunch is twice as big tomorrow, then you can say you can't eat it all and share with her."

Yui rolled her eyes. Once her mother got an idea in her head, there was no stopping her, especially when it came to somebody being well fed.

They had dinner and talked about other things, and watched some TV together. Soon enough it was Yui's bed time, and after brushing her teeth and a quick story from her mom, Yui soon fell asleep.

~RTA,SD~


	3. Chapter 3: The Mark

**AN: Thanks for reading! In case anybody is wondering, of course Kirito isn't dead! I just still need to write him in the story. That might take a while though, and Yui might not immediately know he's her father, so if you're looking forward to that you'll have to wait awhile.**

 **Anyways if you have any questions or suggestions, don't be afraid to review, ok? See you later!**

The mark

Yui woke up with splitting pain down her back. Though she could tuck her wings away, sleeping on her back was a bad idea, one that always guaranteed pain. Last night, she had forgotten to roll over, a mistake that had cost her dearly. Pain radiated from where her wings usually were, a deep, throbbing pain, that left her feeling nauseous.

"Mommy!" She cried out, feeling as if she were going to vomit.

Asuna hurried in the room, looking shocked at the tears flowing down her daughters face.

"Yui! Are you okay?! Are you sick?! Do you need to go to the doctors?"

Yui swallowed thickly, and said, "No, I'm okay mom, Ijust slept on my back last night, and you know what that means."

Her mother still looked concerned, "Do you want me to stay home with you today?"

Yui shook her head, "No, mom I'll be fine, tomorrow's Saturday, so I can rest all weekend if I have to."

Asuna looked unconvinced. "If you're sure?"

Yui waved her mother along. "I'll be fine, just go to work mom."

Though they lived more comfortably than they used to, her mother couldn't afford to take many days off work. And she knew her mother would never let her stay home alone.

"Alright, then..." Her mom trailed off, "go to the nurse if you need to, okay?"

"Don't worry, mom." Yui tried to put cheer in her voice.

On the way to the bathroom, Yui let her wings stretch out, wincing at the cramp in them. Sure, she had said not to worry, but they were surely going to be aching all day, which sure put a damper on things.

Yui headed down to breakfast, which would normally have smelt amazing, if it weren't for her nausea.

Still, she knew her mother would never let her leave the house if she didn't eat at least a little bit, so she picked at her food. She managed to eat a good portion of her meal, and sucked down half her orange juice.

"I'm full mom." Yui felt if she ate another bite she might throw up.

Her mother looked concerned at how much she ate, but otherwise said nothing.

Yui put on a cheerful smile, as they left the house. She knew her mom still wanted her to stay at home.

~RTA,TM~

Yui was quiet for most of the school day, her back getting progressively more cramped as it went along. Yuki kept looking over at her with a trace of concern.

As they went out for recess, Yui opted to sit on a bench, instead of swinging like she normally did.

"Ugh!" Yui groaned, rubbing her back where the pain came from.

"Yui, you don't look too good, maybe you should go to the nurses office."

"I'll be fine." Yui moaned. Going to the nurse wouldn't help, what she really needed was to let her wings out and to lay down. And, anyways, going to the doctors was a last resort anyways. Of course a school nurse couldn't do any real tests on her, but an actual doctor could, and Yui's mom didn't know what would show up on any blood tests, so they only went as long as no tests were done. The nurse couldn't give her a real exam, but it was discouraged to go unless she really needed to.

"If you're sure?" Yuki said hesitantly.

Yui watched Yuki play, preferring to sit out today.

As Yuki hopped off the monkey bars, she adjusted her hair when she landed, throwing her dark locks over one shoulder. Yui noticed strange markings on the back of her neck.

"What's that?" Yui asked moving Yuki's hair to the side, to get a better view.

"Hmm?"

Yui froze when she finally saw all of the tattoo on Yuki's neck.

Yui touched the mark on her own neck, and thought back to what her mother had said about it.

~RTA,TM~

When Yui's mom finished brushing her hair, she began tracing a pattern on the back of her neck.

"Why do you always do that mom?" It was always the same pattern, never different.

"Hmm? Oh, I forgot, you've never saw it before have you?" Yui's mom left the room, before coming back with a hand mirror.

"Here," her mother said, handing it to her, "turn around, and look at the other mirror in this."

Yui turned around on the vanity chair, and looked in the hand mirror. Showing the reflection of the other mirror, she was able to see the back of her head.

"There you go," her mother moved her hair to the side, exposing her neck. There, on the back of her neck, was a stange mark, inscribed in black.

Yui leaned back, trying to get a closer look at them, but having to look through two mirrors made it awkward.

She put the hand mirror down, and touched the back of her neck, where the stange mark was. She had never noticed it before, with it being behind her, and wondered if it had always been there.

The mark exuded a warmth, similar to when she used her wings, or other things her mother couldn't do.

'Has that always been there?' Yui thought to herself, wondering where it had come from.

"Yes, but of course you couldn't see it. It's been on you since the day you were born."

"Huh?" Yui hadn't realized she spoke out loud, still feeling the symbol curiously.

"Your father had one, too." Asuna said, hesitantly.

"Really?!" Yui snapped out of her thoughts at the mention of her father, and looked up at her mom.

"Yes, really," she told her daughter, "everyone on your dads side of the family does."

"Was it the same as mine?" Yui asked.

"The very same one," her mother told her, being uncharacteristically open, usually being more reserved on information about Yui's father, "his cousin had a different mark, though..."

"What does it mean, does it do anything?" Yui carefully examined her mothers face. Her mom usually wasn't so talkative about her dad, so she wanted to get as much information as she could.

"All fairies have those markings, though they change depending the race."

"Fairies?! You mean Alfheim's a real place?!" Yui couldn't believe it.

Her mother smiled at her. "I never told you differently, you know"

"Races? There were different kinds?" Yui looked at her mother intently.

"Yes, there was Imp, undine, cait sith, slyph, and then your fathers race..." She trailed off.

As this was the most her mom had said about her dad, Yui decided to push her luck.

"Father?" Yui questioned, dying of curiosity.

The wall Yui's mother seemed to have when it came to her dad closed again.

"Oh, Yui, I'll tell you more when you're older." Her mother left the room, to make dinner.

Knowing that insisting wouldn't get her more information, Yui went back to examining the mark.

~RTA,TM~

Looking at Yuki's mark, she knew that it must be like hers. There was no doubt about it, when her fingers had brushed against it, it had let out the same 'spark' Yui's did.

'Yuki's a fairy!' Yui thought in surprise, 'does she know?!' Yuki had supposedly lived in an orphanage, a human orphanage, but surely she couldn't keep that hidden from the workers there.

Suddenly, Yui had a horrifying thought. 'Did she see my mark?!' She tried to recall if she had worn her hair up around Yuki. Not that she wasn't excited that she finally had a friend, a friend like her, who she could maybe finally be honest with, but it made her worry about something else.

If Yuki living in an orphanage was just a cover story, then presumably at least one of her parents was a fairy, perhaps both. What if in Alfheim, relationships with humans was looked down on? What if they didn't like the fact that Yui's mom was human? What if they hurt her?

It was these thoughts that caused Yui to bite her tongue, rather than questioning Yuki about it. She would find out more about her home life, then talk to her about it. At least to make sure they were nice.

Yuki froze when Yui had asked about the mark.

"Oh, that's just some birthmark I have, it looks more interesting than it actually is!" Yuki laughed nervously.

Yui pretended not to notice. "Oh, okay, I've never really seen a birthmark before, it looked interesting. Anyways my mom packed too much food today, and since I'm feeling sick still, do you want to share with me?"

Yuki looked relieved at the subject change. "That sounds nice! The food your mom made yesterday was yummy!"

Yui spent the rest of the school day distracted, wondering if she should tell her mom about what she had learnt of her friend. Yuki thought it was because of her illness, and kept on asking if Yui should go to the nurse.

~RTA,TM~

As they went in the house Asuna commented on her daughters unusual silence.

"Yui? Are you okay? Is your back bothering you that much?"

"No, mom, I'm thinking about what the rest of the school year is going to be. The teacher seems to like me." Contrary to her words, her moms questions reminded her of her aching wings, which she had been able to ignore, for the most part, in her distraction.

"Of course she does," her mother gloated, "everyone always loves you!" Her mothers cinnamon eyes were beaming at her.

"Whatever, mom," she groaned. Her mother was always so proud of her, for reasons unknown to Yui.

"Well, it's true, nobody has any reason to dislike you, you're always so kind and thoughtful, and always helping out..." Yui was getting more embarrassed by the second at her mothers words.

"Okay, mom, I get it, can I put my stuff away now?" She interrupted her mom, before she got on a roll.

"Of course, honey! Then can you help with dinner? Or is your back too sore?"

"No, mom, I'll help." Cooking would be a nice distraction.

Yui put her stuff away, and went to help her mom with dinner. As always, as long as she had a hand in it, Asuna's meal tasted wonderful.

~RTA,TM~

As she got out of the bathroom later that night, Yui looked towards the attic.

That was where her mother kept her fathers stuff, but Yui wasn't supposed to go through them. But, she remembered her mother showing her the picture of the world tree, and wondered if Yuki's mark would be explained as well. Maybe it would tell what race she was, and that would tell her about at least one of Yuki's parents powers.

Yui crept downstairs, peeked around the corner at her mom. Her mothers long, chestnut colored hair framed her face as she read from a book. Yui knew from the book she was reading, and the way the periwinkle colored blanket was wrapped around her, her mother would be distracted, for at least an hour.

Yui quietly walked back upstairs, and stood hesitantly in front of the attic door. Slowly, she put her hand on the doorknob and turned.

~RTA,TM~


	4. Chapter 4: The Attic

**AN: Thanks for reading! Sorry if you're disappointed by the lack of Kirito in the chapter, I don't plan to bring him in quite yet. As always any questions or suggestions are welcome.**

The Attic

The attic was not well lit. Only a few dull lightbulbs, that hung from the ceiling, were there to light the place. Yui hesitantly turned them on. Despite the fact that it was barely used, it didn't appear to be too dusty. A few picture frames were leaning against the wall, most appearing to have nothing in them.

Yui decided to explore the attic for awhile, as usually she wasn't allowed up there. Plus, she was nervous to look through her fathers stuff, worried about what she might find there. It could reveal that he was awful person, and Yui didn't know if she was ready for that, yet.

In the corner, near the back of the room, was the storage bins holding their winter clothes, and other seasonal things. Looking through it quickly showed that there was nothing more to it, no secrets hidden within. Just blankets, coats, and no special items from her father.

Yui went around the rest of the room, avoiding a box near the right side of the room, instead choosing to look through everything but that. She knew from peeking at her mother, when she had put the storybook away, the one about Alfheim, that that was where her fathers stuff lay.

Looking through the rest of the room showed nothing out of the ordinary, just things from when she had been a baby, photo albums, and other common items.

She wanted to procrastinate for longer, anxious about what she would find, but she knew her mother would come upstairs soon to make sure she was safe in bed, something that she always did. So if she was going to look at all it had to be now.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly lifted the lid of the box and peered inside. She was surprised to find, that at first glance, nothing out of the ordinary was inside. She didn't know what she had been expecting.

'A dragon, maybe?' She thought wryly to herself. She couldn't help but be a bit disappointed, even if she was kind of relieved, that nothing obviously magical was inside.

"Well, that was disappointing!" She whispered to herself, mindful of her mom downstairs.

Still, she started to rummage through it, pulling out a long, black coat, much to big for her to wear. The material of the coat felt strange, unlike anything she had touched before. Not uncomfortable, though.

Knowing it was futile, that any scent would have faded long ago, but wanting to try anyways, she put the coat to her nose and sniffed. She was surprised to find, that while it didn't smell like any particular person, it didn't smell like the coat had been sitting in a box, in her mothers attic, for many years. She knew that it must have though.

Shaking her head, she tossed it to the side, and continued looking through the rest of the box. Yui found a few pieces of jewelry, which her father must have given to her mom, a couple of letters, one or two pictures, a few more books, which Yui had never saw before, and several more knickknacks.

Carefully setting the books and pictures aside, Yui looked through the rest. The jewelry seemed unremarkable enough, though extremely beautiful, in a fancy rosy gold color. There were a few bracelets, a couple necklaces, and a pair of earrings. The earrings held beautiful, light pink gemstones. They were clearly bought with Yui's mother in mind, her mother being fond of rose gold and morganite. Though, she couldn't tell what the gemstones were, they could have been another stone entirely, or even something from Alfheim.

Sensing that there was no real magical quality to them, she carefully put them back in the box. None of the other items seemed to do anything interesting. One item, Yui made note of, a silver hairbrush, had a weird aura about it, but at her prodding, nothing happened. Disappointed, she put it to the side.

Hesitantly, she picked up one of the two letters.

'Hey Asuna!

I bet you're relieved to see this. Ya know, confirmation that you're not crazy! Yes, all that stuff actually happened. That would have been a helluva dream though, huh? Anyways, we can't talk about that anymore in this letter, for obvious reasons, but you'll hear from the rest of us soon! Then we can talk about everything, so just hold on till then, alright?

So, you should be happy to know, that Kazuto, err, I guess you know him as Kirito, is getting everything set up, and he should be able to stay in your 'area' for awhile, so just be patient okay?

I mean, I know you're most looking forward to seeing me again, right? (Just kidding!)

Anyways, I'll be seeing you soon.

-Klein'

Yui read through it a few times, annoyed it seemed to purposely be vague. She looked at the name of who wrote it, 'Klein', and wondered if that was her father.

Sighing, she set the letter down, about to pick up the other one, when she noticed the picture she had saw before.

Slowly turning it over, she saw two men standing in front of a wooden countertop, laughing at something not in the photo. She noticed writing on the bottom of the photograph, two names. 'Agil and Klein'

Looking at the photo, Yui was sure neither of these men were her father. One of them was African American, clearly not related to her. The other, didn't resemble her either, and if her mother was telling the truth, she was supposed to look extremely like her dad, so that left him out as well.

Examining the photo, she didn't recognize where it took place. Disheartened, she laid the photo back in the box.

Sitting there, depressed for a few minutes, she eventually lifted the book her mother had shown her up.

Yui had only turned a couple pages, not enough to really read anything, when she heard a loud thunk from downstairs. Realizing that her time was up, she carefully rearranged everything in the box as close to it was before she came in, and hurriedly left the attic, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Darting in the bathroom, she turned on the sink, and splashed water on her face, trying to make it seem she had been here for awhile.

When she shut off the sink she heard her mothers light footsteps on the stairs.

Grabbing a paper towel, she stepped out of the bathroom, 'accidentally' bumping into her mom.

"Oh, sorry mom! I was just finishing up. Did you need in here?"

Yui gave a huge yawn and pretended to blink sleep from her eyes.

"You just go on to sleep, okay? Mama will come and tell you a story in a little bit." Her mother smiled gently at her.

Yui grinned back and hurried to her room. Curling up on her bed, she tried to relax her busy mind.

~RTA,TA~

As it was the weekend, Yui didn't have to wake up early for school, something she was glad about. She wanted a chance to think about what she had found in the attic. All night she had been anxious about what she had discovered, so she hadn't slept well. As her mind filled with worry, she knew going back to sleep wasn't an option.

Yui's mom hardly ever works on Saturdays or Sundays, preferring to spend time with Yui, instead. She always had a fun activity planned for them, whether that was working in the garden, going for a picnic, or taking a small field trip somewhere.

Hoping her mother wanted to do something at home, as her mind was still full of what she had learnt, Yui quietly got up to check on her mom.

Not hearing anything downstairs, she carefully tiptoed to her mothers bedroom door, and quietly turned the doorknob. Peeking in, she saw her mother laying on the bed, her ivory sleep mask still on her face, clearly asleep.

Slowly padding in, she stood next to her mom on the bed, and looked down at her. Her long, chestnut hair strewn about, lit up beautifully in the faint sunlight the window provided. Her cream colored cheeks were faintly blushing a pale pink rose color, and her full pink-rose lips were pouting at something in her sleep. Yui's mother was extremely beautiful. She didn't know if goddesses exist, and with her being half-fairy they very well could, still, she didn't think anyone could look more lovely than her mom.

Feeling emotional, as she hadn't been able to sleep well, she gently laid down next to her mom on the bed. Burying her head in her moms chestnut locks, she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of pears. Hoping it wouldn't wake her mother up, she adjusted herself so she was more comfortable. While she knew her mother wouldn't mind, Yui wanted to seem mature and grown up, and she didn't think cuddling up was the way to do that. If she appeared strong and mature, maybe her mother would worry about her less.

Closing her eyes, she relaxed against her mom, and soon fell asleep.

~RTA,TA~

Waking up to the sound of her mom humming, Yui sighed pleasantly. Her mother fingers were gently combing through her hair, something that always managed to relax her.

"Are you up, sleepyhead?" Her mother asked her.

"Mmm," Yui moaned sleepily, "no I'm not."

Her mother laughed at her. "Well, alright then, I guess you don't need any breakfast, hmm?"

As if it heard her, Yui's stomach growled.

"Maybe a bit hungry." Yui admitted.

Her mother chuckled, and went downstairs to make breakfast.

Yawning, Yui reluctantly got up from the warm bed, and went to take a shower, hoping the warm water would wake her up. Picking out her own clothes when she was done, Yui skipped downstairs.

The delicious smell of her moms food filled the air, brightening Yui's mood. They sat down and ate, discussing what they would do later that day.

"I was thinking, we could have picnic at that park we found the other day." Her mother said.

Yui wrinkled her nose. "But everybody brings their dog there." Yui wasn't fond of dogs, being a cat person.

Her mother laughed at her. "I found a secluded place, so we shouldn't see that many people."

"If you're sure, mom." She didn't really care what they did.

Finishing up, Yui and her mom got ready for the rest of the day.

~RTA,TA~

Deciding to go the park on foot, they walked at a casual stroll. There was a gentle breeze, which felt heavenly in the blistering sun. The park was only semi-busy, the field a couple of blocks from there being more popular. There were only a few people walking their dogs, Yui saw thankfully.

Leading them to a spot away from everyone else, Asuna put down a blanket, and laid out the contents from the picnic basket. They dug in, and enjoyed the sun. It was a rare sunny day, this week, having rained a lot, so they wanted be in it for as long as they could.

Yui thought about the photo she had saw, eating in silence, she wondered when she would get another chance to go back upstairs, to the attic.

"Yui? You're awfully quiet. Is something bothering you?"

Her moms voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up, and blinked at her mother, wondering if she should tell her the truth. On one hand, she didn't really care if she got in trouble, her mother was never really strict. On the other hand, if she did tell her, her mother might not answer, and would probably hide her fathers stuff better, ruining Yui's chances of finding out more. It would take a while to find again, and her mother would be guarding the place like a hawk. It would probably be many months until she could get in.

Yui bit her tongue, and instead said, "it's nothing mom, my backs still bothering me." And it was true, her wings didn't seem fully healed from the mishap yesterday. A dull ache still throbbed.

Her mother frowned. "Did you want to go home soon?"

Yui shook her head, fast. "No, it's not that bad, I'll be fine. What will we do when we're done eating?"

"Well, if you're sure. I have something for us to do."

Her mother led them down a trail, connected to the park. The activity ended up being a fun little lesson on all the plants and trees in the forest trail.

All of a sudden, Yui smelt a unbelievably sweet scent, reminiscent of the old apartment her and her mom had lived at before.

"Honeysuckles!" She shouted in joy. Before they moved into their house, their old apartment had had honeysuckles, which carried Yui's favorite scent. Her and her mother used to sit on a bench near them, preferring to relax in there scent, rather than stay inside. It brought back fond memories of coloring in her drawings, and her mother helping out with her school work.

Her mother smiled joyfully as well. "They still smell just as well as I remember them."

"Mom?! Can we plant some near our house?" The sweet smelling plant was one of the things Yui missed most about her old house.

"Sure, but there are different kinds of honeysuckles, you know. The ones you see here are more yellow and white, and are very fragrant. Some varieties don't smell as strong."

"How long do they take to grow?" Yui demanded.

"Depending on how you take care on them, their vines usually grow a couple of feet per year. So not very long, though it would probably be better to plant them in the springtime. They're not too expensive, so we should be able to grow some." Her mother looked excited at the idea.

Yui smiled at her, happy that her mother was ecstatic about something. Though she loved and cared for her daughter, Asuna always seemed to have a trace of sadness about her, as if a part of her was missing, and she was a bit lost.

Happy at her mothers rare, true happiness, she skipped as they went further in the trail, pelting her mother with questions to keep the mood alive.

~RTA,TA~

That night, as she got out of the bathroom, Yui hesitated at her bedroom door. Her and her mother had had a good day, and she didn't want to ruin it. But the curiosity was killing her, and she knew she was going to have to ask her mom for answers about her father soon.

'Even if it's difficult,' Yui thought to herself, 'I have to know finally!'

She sighed and opened the door to her bedroom, resolving to talk to her mother tomorrow.

~RTA,TA~


	5. Chapter 5: The Birthday

**AN: Sorry for formating! Anyways, for those wondering, Yui will be in Alfheim before chapter ten, probably sooner, actually. Somebody asked if this was based on wolf children? I've never read or saw that, so I have no idea if they're alike or not. If you have any questions or suggestions please tell me.**

The Birthday

Yui decided to make the day easier on her mom, considering the conversation they were going to have tonight. Not that her mom knew about that. Practically insisting on doing all the chores, Yui finally got done vacuuming the living room, after she had washed all the dishes and helped with the laundry. Her mother was suspicious, but Yui had told her she was just bored and needed something to do.

'Might as well not start the conversation with mama being exhausted.' She told herself.

Tiptoeing to her moms bedroom, she peered in at her. Her mother was organizing her closet, with a small smile on her face.

'Is it better for her to be in a good mood?' Yui thought to herself, 'or a bad mood?' She knew the upcoming discussion would be hard, and she didn't want to ruin her moms day, but at the same time, she didn't think her mom would talk if she was feeling down.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door all the way, and walked inside. 'Best to get this over with.'

Her mother looked up at her, "I'm almost done cleaning out my closet, did you need something? You've been so helpful today."

Even though she knew her mother was teasing, she still told her, "yeah, I'll help."

It didn't take long to finish, so Yui soon couldn't hold off the conversation any longer. Lying on the bed, she curled up under a blanket, and patted the space beside her, signaling for her mom to sit down. Asuna looked slightly concerned, but laid down next to her daughter anyway.

"Yui? What's been bothering you? I know chores can't be that entertaining to you, and you've been so quiet lately, is anything the matter?"

She bit her lip, then sighed, "it's nothing mom, I'm not sick or anything, I'm just... thinking of something, that's all."

"Okay," her mother said slowly, "about what?"

Yui hesitated. It was now or never. "Mama? Please, I really need to know, something... just something about... Dad, okay? I think it's time, I have to know sometime, so please, even if it's just a little bit, tell me something about him."

Unable to look at her mothers face, Yui heard her breathe in a shaky breath.

"Okay... I think you should know something. I can't tell you everything right now,... but I will tell you what I can. Just give me a second, I need to think of where to start."

Yui waited in agonizing silence for a few minutes. Even though she wanted to know, her heart broke for her mother, who sounded so defeated, like she had fought in a long war, or had walked 5000 miles, and was exhausted. She had never sounded weaker.

"Well, I guess I'll start at before I met him. I lived with my parents, an only child. It wasn't that we hated each other, but I never got along with them that well. They left me alone often, either from work, or vacation trips, so I basically lived by myself. Sometimes, I was angry, or even sad about it, and I wondered how to get them to love me more. I never got into trouble, and never got bad grades, so my parents didn't think I needed any attention. I was pretty sure they wouldn't even miss me if I ran away. Other times, I loved having my own place. As I was always by myself, I didn't require anyone to look after me. I was able to treat the place as if it were my own house."

"One night, I thought I saw something outside, so I decided to look for it. It didn't seem bad, so I thought I would be safe. My family lived - or owned, as they were never hardly in it - a mansion, and a large acre of woods. I went down a path I had gone through often before, it led to this beautiful meadow, full of different flowers. On the way there, I went off the trail. For some reason I felt like I should, so I branched off, into a part of the woods I had never been before. I felt like something was calling me there, like I was supposed to be there. Eventually, I found an, ironically enough, fairy ring."

"A fairy ring?! What's that?! Were there fairy's there? Was it some type of spell?" Yui demanded.

Her mother smiled gently, and patted her head. "No, it wasn't a spell. As a matter of fact, 'fairy ring' is a human phrase. It's also known as a fairy circle, or an elf circle. A fairy circle is a group of mushrooms, that grew in a circle or ring. Despite the fact that all - or most - are naturally formed, they are source of some folklore. Some say they're a source of bas luck, and that if you go in the center of one, something bad will happen. In Germany, tradition states they're formed by the witches dancing on Walpurgis night. Others say they're made by fairies or elves dancing."

"So, are they magical, then?" Yui asked.

"Some are... The one I saw that night was." Asuna seemed to hesitate.

Yui waited patiently. She knew that insisting wouldn't get her anywhere, and that it was best for her mother to continue on her own.

Her sighed, finally, and continued. "I thought I heard something coming from it, so I looked closer. For some reason something made me want to jump in. But, I also had a weird feeling as I looked at it. Even though something said to go towards it, I started to turn to head back home."

"Then... Something - or rather someone - grabbed my ankle. I remember thinking it might have been a root of a tree at first, as I never saw anybody standing there, and I had tried to shake it off. Then the 'root' pulled, and I fell in the circle. I recall falling for a very long time, I thought I was dying, the world was rushing past me. Then eventually someone caught me. I wish they hadn't though."

Yui, who thought she had meant her father at first, froze. Whoever it was, probably had bad intentions.

"It took me awhile to calm down and open my eyes, but when I did, I saw him. Kuradeel. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but just looking in his eyes made chills go down my spine. I had screamed a little and struggled to get away. He let me stand up, but kept his arm around me."

"I remember thinking, that maybe if I apologized and thanked him, he might let me go. He laughed at me, and I got the creeps from the sound. Looking around, I finally noticed, that I was not near my house. The sky was a lot lighter, and the trees looked different. I was definitely nowhere near anywhere I had been before. He spoke up, and as I turned back to him, I finally noticed the ears and the wings. I thought I was hallucinating, and I was somewhere passed out in the forest back home, and worried about someone finding me. He told me why he had brought me there."

"It turns out, some people in Alfheim dislike or think they are better than humans. With all their powers and the ability to fly, we must look pretty weak to them. They view us as almost as animals."

It made Yui sick to think about, but she could understand why some might think they're better than humans. She hoped her father wasn't one of them.

"It turns out, bringing humans to Alfheim, or even showing them their powers is illegal in their world. They need special permission in order to do that. Some of them ignore that law, though. Kuradeel was one of them."

"He told me about how messing around with humans was his favorite pastime, and how he was glad it was me he had dragged in. He said that usually, he just," Yui's mom looked like she edited something out, "hurt them, but that I was different. He commented on how beautiful I was and said he was going to," Yui's mom edited again, "play with me awhile, and how he wanted to make it last as long as he could."

Yui was curious about what her mom had left out, but decided not to ask questions.

"I was terrified, hoping I was just asleep and wondering when I would wake up. I remember he had opened his mouth to speak again when someone interrupted."

"Who?!" Yui demanded, terrified for her mother.

Her mother smiled distantly, "your father..."

"Dad? Really?" Yui was relieved.

"Yes. He had sensed a portal to the other world open, and wanted to check it out. Going to the other side isn't forbidden, but there are strict rules for it. You see, your father was part of, well the human equivalent would be the army or police force, and he had dealt with people like Kuradeel before."

"Kuradeel seemed to recognize him, but he didn't seem that fond. He looked like your father had stopped him before."

"Kuradeel's personality changed, where before he was creepy, now he seemed mentally unstable. There was a flash of light, and all of a sudden, he was holding a sword I hadn't seen him with until now. He still kept one arm around me, and told your father to back off, and sliced the air with his blade."

Yui looked at her mom with wide eyes. 'Someone had tried to kill her? And dad?'

"Your dad didn't seem to scared for himself, but he kept glancing at me in concern. He told Kuradeel to put me to the side, out of the way, and whoever won the duel won me."

Yui's mom hesitated. "Anyways, after Kuradeel was..." More editing, "apprehended and put in jail, your father took me somewhere to get healed." She seemed to leave more stuff out, "I stayed in Alfheim for a week or two and eventually it was decided that I could keep my memories. Your father and I had become friends in that time, and we wanted to keep seeing each other. He took me back to the human world, with a promise that we would see each other again soon."

"And did he come back, then?" Yui asked.

"Yes, actually, he did. For the first few weeks after that incident, I didn't have much contact with him, except for one of his friends, Klein had gave me a letter saying that he would be there soon."

"One day, I had gone back to school - for some reason they didn't even notice my absence, your father called it 'magical interference' - and they said that a new student was going to be attending."

"Was it daddy?" Yui guessed.

"It was. Anyways, long story short, we became closer and eventually fell in love, and eventually I found out I was having you."

Yui was quiet for a second. "Did he leave because of me?" She asked in a small voice.

"No! He doesn't know you-" her mom cut off, "he doesn't know you're his daughter."

"Why did he leave, then?" Yui asked sadly.

"It was mommy's fault, sweetheart. You don't need to blame yourself. He left because of me."

"What!? No, mom! Of course it wasn't your fault! I'm sure it wasn't!"

Her mother looked at her sadly. "I don't know who else to blame. It certainly wasn't your fault, and I don't blame your father either, so it must have been my fault."

Yui started to talk, when her mother interrupted her. "Yui, this is all I can talk about now. I can tell you more when you're older. Please be patient."

Yui frowned, but nodded, knowing not to push her mother.

"Alright then sweetheart, I can answer one more question, as long as it's short."

"Can- can you tell me his name?"

Her mother took a shaky breath. "Well, he used a different name at school, but his name in Alfheim was Kazuto. The name he used at school was Kirito."

"Okay, then." Yui didn't need any more information, she knew her mother would tell her eventually, when she got old enough. Her mom looked like she was going to cry any minute.

"I think it's time you went to sleep, so go and brush your teeth, okay?"

Yui nodded, knowing her mother wanted to be left alone, and quietly walked out of the room.

After brushing her teeth, and changing into her night clothes, she laid on her bed and tried to sleep, unsuccessfully, for several minutes. Finally, giving up, she tiptoed out of her room and checked on her mom. Peeking in, she saw her mother sobbing, and waited, torn for a few seconds. Her mother had said she wanted to be alone, or at least hinted at it. She stood indecisively, before heading into the room and hugging her mom. This was all her fault, if she hadn't have been so curious, her mother wouldn't be so hurt.

"I'm sorry, mommy. This is because of me, isn't it?" Her mother crying made her want to cry.

"Of course not!" Her mother said in a choked voice. "You have to know something. I just put it off too long."

Yui patted her moms back, this time comforting her mother to sleep.

~RTA,TB~

The next two months passed by quickly. Her mother had been depressed for a few days, before getting over her funk. In that time, Yui had gotten closer to Yuki, and they had become fast best friends. That Yuki was a fairy was still concerning, but as long as she kept her mark hidden, she didn't have to do anything. They still hadn't visited each other's homes, but that soon changed.

On the way to lunch time, Yui noticed her friend looked hesitant.

"Hey Yuki, what's the matter? You seem distracted."

Yuki bit her lip, before saying, "um, well, it's just that, uh, my birthdays coming up, and Ami, you know, my caretaker, wants to throw a party for me. I don't really have anyone else to invite, so did you want to come? Like I said, I don't really have any friends, so it will probably just be us, and a couple of other kids at the orphanage. So it might be too boring, I understand if you don't want to come."

Yui smiled at her. "Of course I'll come! As long as you want me there. When is it?"

Yuki looked happy. "It's November twelfth. Can you make it?"

"Sure!"

Having something to look forward to, Yui spent the rest of month impatient.

~RTA,TB~

"I hope she likes it." Yui told her mom. She hadn't been sure what to get Yuki, and had left it till the last minute. They had gotten pretty close, and Yui didn't want to disappoint her.

"I'm sure she will." Her mother reassured her.

Following the directions Yuki had given them, they soon arrived at the orphanage. Yui was surprised to see that it was an actual orphanage, so it meant that it wasn't a cover story for Yuki's family. She wondered what had happened.

Clutching the small present, she walked up the steps, and paused at the door. There had been a gate, which had to be opened, before they could continue driving. Looking around, she was mildly surprised at the state of the place. She had expected something more run down, with a lawn not well taken care of, and chipped paint peeling. She supposed the ideas had come from fictional books, as they always made orphanages sound like terrible places. It wasn't the most beautiful or taken care of place, but she had definitely saw worst.

"Are you going to knock, honey?" Her mothers voice interrupted her thoughts. Asuna had to work tonight, so had decided to leave Yui with Yuki's caretaker, after they had met and she decided she was safe enough.

Taking a breath, she put her hand on the gold knocker. Banging it lightly on the door, she then waited for someone to arrive.

Soon enough, she heard the sound of the doorknob turning, and a short blonde woman was standing there. She was wearing a blue apron, and had what looked like flour on her cheek.

"Hello dearie, can I help you?"

"Um, we're here for Yuki's birthday?" Yui was suddenly awkward, something quite rare for her.

The woman smiled brightly. "Oh, you must be Yui! Come in. I'm Ami. We're celebrating with some of the other kids here, do you know if anyone else at school is coming?"

Yui felt awkward again. "Uh, I don't think anyone else could make it. I hope the gift I have is okay."

Ami smiled kindly. "Of course! I think Yuki is more excited to have you here than anything. You'll be fine."

Yui's mom and her got acquainted with each other, while Yui was led to the room that held Yuki's party.

Going in, a plain white room was where it was being held. There was a green plastic table, covered in a purple cloth, and a small banner across the room, saying 'Happy 9th Birthday Yuki!' Kids of different ages sat at the table, the oldest looking twelve. The room looked like it was put together in a hurry, but Yui supposed this might be the best they could do. Not that her birthdays were any more fabulous, the only family being her mom, and occasionally friends. Her mom would sometimes invite people from her work, who would then bring their kids, and they were then awkwardly forced to hangout. Their children were always either too old, too young, or someone she didn't get along with. Her mother felt bad if hardly anybody came, so she tried to invite anyone she could. It led to some rather awkward and uncomfortable encounters.

Finally noticing Yuki sitting on the chair with a nice looking quilt draped over it, she walked over to her. Yuki had a plastic, magenta crown on her head, with the words 'Birthday girl' on it. A white sash with hot pink sequins hung over her shoulder.

Yui smiled at the other kids when she stood next to Yuki's side, and lightly tapped on her shoulder.

She looked up in surprise. "Yui! Hi, I wasn't sure you would come!"

Yui was confused. "I said I would come didn't I? Did you not want me here?"

Yuki furiously shook her head. "No! No! It's just that... I don't know, I guess I just expected you to change your mind. I've had some people I met in school before promise to come over, just regularly, not for my birthday, and they always left soon after. I guess I should have trusted you more."

Yui felt sad at that. "Well, I'm not leaving, so you can relax. And the 'friends' I brought over never really stuck around either. Where should I put your present?"

Yuki blushed. "You didn't have to get me anything! Ami put the other presents over there." She pointed at small table that Yui hadn't noticed before, that had a few 'gifts' on it. There was little actual wrapping paper, most with newspaper taped on it, and most looked homemade. They must have been from the other kid there, the most impressive looking one was probably from Ami.

Setting her package down Yui felt awkward about the expensive in comparison wrap on it. She had spent a good while picking out Yuki's present. At first, she was going to give her a copy of her favorite movie, before her mother pointed out that the orphanage might not have a DVD player. Feeling stupid for not thinking of that, Yui tried to get her something that could be used anytime. She had agonized on the gift, debating if it should be impressive or not. Though they didn't have a lot of money themselves, Yui guessed that Yuki might not have very many things to herself, and wanted to give her something nice. But what if another kid stole it? If she got her something too nice, another kid might notice and steal it, and that wasn't something she wanted. Plus, what if Yuki got offended? If it was too nice then it might make her sad, and remind her of the fact that she wouldn't get very many things like it again. Or what if it made her angry, and made her think Yui was bragging? So she decided not to get her anything over the top. But on the other hand, what if Yui got her something too cheap, and Yuki thought she didn't care? The other kids most likely couldn't get her anything amazing, but Yui and her mother had more money than them, so she might be expecting something really great. Yui finally managed to pick out a present that wasn't too cheap, or expensive, and that could be played by itself.

"Yui." She heard her mother from the doorway, "I'm heading on now, Ami will give me a call if you need it."

"That's fine, mom. Go on to work now." Yui waved her mother on.

Ami escorted her mother to the door, then came back to start the party.

~RTA,TB~

Yui was laughing at something one of the other girls had said, and was about to say something to Yuki, when she noticed she wasn't in the room. Confused, as Yuki had been there just a second ago, she stepped out into the hall, unsure of where to go. She wasn't sure where she was allowed to go, and didn't want to get in trouble. Hesitantly going down the hallway, she found Yuki on a bench. She was about to say something, when she noticed Yuki was crying.

"Yuki! What's the matter?"

She sniffled, before saying. "You must be pretty disappointed, this is the worst party ever. Ami isn't supposed to show favoritism to anybody, so she isn't allowed to spend that much money on us. You must be used to better things, this must look pathetic in comparison."

Yui gave a little laugh, not wanting to offend her. "Don't worry, this is actually much better than any of my birthday party's, at least the people here don't look like they're forced to be here!"

She decided to tell Yuki about her past birthdays.

"-and then, she ate the last of my cake! I don't even like cake that much, but who eats someone's birthday cake? She then told me her mom and mine forced her to be there, as if I didn't already know, and that she didn't like me! I didn't like her either! The feeling was mutual!"

Yuki was in tears, laughing at Yui's description of her moms coworkers bratty kid.

"Okay, okay I guess mines not so bad after all. I feel bad for you now!"

"Yours is a lot more fun, actually. I'm not just saying that. At least there's activities to do, that don't involve people who dislike me."

Yuki groaned. "Don't remind me. Ugh, if Ami brings out another birthday cliché, I'm done."

"At least she didn't make us play 'pin the tail on the donkey'."

Yuki giggled. "Don't tell her that! She probably has it and just forgot."

"So, can we go back, now? Everyone probably notices the birthday girl is gone. You do have a crown after all." Yui teased her.

Finally cheered up, they went back. Ami came in eventually, and brought the cake she had made. Though it wasn't as good as her mother could have made, it was still pretty good.

~RTA,TB~

Finally, when it was time to open the gifts, Yui's mother came back. She congratulated Yuki, and had a slice of cake. As it had got a little late, she asked if Yui was ready to go home.

Reluctantly, Yui agreed, and told Yuki goodbye. On the way to the car, her mother spoke.

"Did you have a good time? Everybody seemed nice."

"Yeah, it was fun. I made friends with some of the other girls there."

"Yui? What's that in your hands?" They had just arrived at the car.

"Oh, it's-! Shoot!" Yui had her present to Yuki in her hands. She had picked it up, meaning to give it to her, but must have forgot.

"I'll be right back, mom!" Yui hurriedly ran back in the house. After asking one of the girls if she knew where Yuki was, she quickly opened Yuki's bedroom door, before freezing.

There stood Yuki, with wings and elf ears, looking at her in horror.

~RTA,TB~


	6. Chapter 6: The promise we made that day

**AN: Hey guy! Sorry for formating! I would like to start out by saying, that I'm not the best writer, and I realize that. I'm actually writing to deal with my depression and anxiety, so this isn't meant to be super impressive. I'm writing this for fun, and it has helped distract me from my panic attacks, so it might not be that good. If you are following my other stories, I'm sorry if it's taking so long to update. Return to Alfheim is the one I'm having the most fun with, and I'm probably going to update it sooner and faster than the others, so I'm sorry if you're waiting for that. I'm actually sick with a sinus infection, and am taking antibiotics for it, so I haven't felt the best. This is just an explanation for why it's taking so long to update my other stories. As always, any questions or suggestions are welcome.**

 **I have two other stories, so if you want to check them out, that would be awesome! One is called Surprising Accidents and the other is Yui's Boredom.**

 **Thatloner's review says**

 _ **OK, I like how the story is going so far, but could you explain why kirito uses well... Kirito as his alias and kazuto as his real name. As I see it it should have been the reverse, with kirito being his real name because that's just one name, and Kazuto because in Asuna's world it would have been a lot less weird to have someone named Kazuto Kiragaya rather than Kirito Kiragaya.**_

 _ **Just thoughts, not criticism.**_

 **That's sort of on purpose, and sort of on accident. Kirito will be... Well known in Alfheim, and sort of important as well, and I had him change his name in the human world to stay hidden from the other fairies in Alfheim. If you remember I said that some of them hate humans, and given that he's important, and his name is well known, and he left Alfheim temporarily for a human girl, to go to a human school some of them might not like that so, he went by a different name, just in case anyone from Alfheim tried to do anything to Asuna, he made himself harder to find. That's why he changed his name. (Sorry for the run on sentence) And I wanted his real name to be Kazuto, but you're right, I never thought Kirito kirigaya might be a weird name, that was kind of an oversight on my part.**

 **I hope some of you don't mind that a lot of the names are japanese sounding, it's just that, one of my pet peeves when people write fanfiction of anime, is when they use the names in the anime (like usagi or minako) and then there's just this guy named Dan in the middle of it all, it just looks so out of place. So I'm using non-American sounding names. If you don't like it, or have a name suggestion let me know.**

 **Additionally, I don't know too much about the different races in Alfheim, so if I get anything wrong, just let me know. If you could tell me anything about them, specifically Spriggan and imp, that would be nice. Or if you have any suggestions for made up things that would be okay, too. After all, in cannon it's just a game, but in this fic it's real life, so things could be different.**

 **Yui should be in Alfheim next chapter, though not how you think. I have a plan for it!**

 **With that said I hope you enjoy the story!**

The Promise We Made That Day

"I... I forgot..." Yui didn't finish her sentence, shocked at what she walked in on. Yuki stood there, frozen in horror, her wings fluttering nervously.

"Yui, I, it's not, um, I can- I can..." Yuki was clearly unprepared for her friend to walk in on her like this. She looked around the room, as if an escape or explanation would appear.

"Yuki, I..." Yui had wanted to tell Yuki her secret, but had never imagined it being revealed like this. She knew her friend must be panicking, as she would be, too, if her 'human' friend had discovered her secret, but couldn't manage to reassure her.

There was no denying that they were real, not when she was hovering a few feet from the ground. Her wings definitely worked.

"Wait Yui! I'm not- I promise I'm not a freak, I swear! I'm not dangerous, or anything like that, I'm-"

Deciding to be honest with her friend, Yui turned around and moved her hair to the side, revealing her mark.

"A mark! But- I thought- you're Spriggan?"

"I'm what? Don't panic, I'm a fairy, too! Do you actually live in an orphanage? Or is it just a cover? What about everyone else here?"

"Um, oh my god, um, wait- what!? Uh, hold on a second."

Yuki seemed to need a second for her heart to go back to normal. After awhile, she continued.

"Uh, I, both of my parents are actually dead, they were murdered by someone dangerous, so Ami - she's a fairy too - decided to take me to the human world, to live here, for my protection. I mean, I've lived here for basically my whole life, so I only know what Ami has told me about Alfheim, but I know Alfheim has their own version of the police - I can't remember what Ami called them - but for some reason, She didn't trust them enough to stay. The rest of the kids here are human. Ami likes to take care of children, she was a teacher in Alfheim, " Yuki spoke really fast.

"Ami's one too?! But nobody else? Does Ami plan to bring you back to Alfheim one day?"

"Well, I'm supposed to go to school in Alfheim in a couple years, after I'm almost eleven, but I don't know if Ami will let me. We haven't been back in years, and we don't know anyone there, so she might not let me. Unless! Unless you're also going! Ami will definitely let me attend if you're going, too! She's really liked how good of friends we have become, and I think she liked your mom, too, so if I don't have to go alone, she might let me attend! Please, tell me you're gonna go! Oh, please!"

Yui hated lying to her, but she still didn't know if Ami liked humans. "Well, my mom and I left Alfheim for similar reasons, only I actually don't hardly know anything about it, so I don't know anything about the school. I would like to go, though. I don't know if my mom will let me. Maybe, we can convince mom and Ami together! Could you teach me about Alfheim! What race are you? I don't even know my own."

Yuki blinked. "Geeez, you really don't know anything, do you? Is that why you didn't understand why I called you Spriggan? You don't even know what race you are?"

Yui frowned, annoyed, and said. "Well, mama doesn't like to talk about dad, it makes her sad. And I guess I take after him more than her. She left Alfheim after he died." She hated lying, but she wanted to tell her mom about Yuki first, and see what she thought about it. Then she would tell the truth. This sounded like a good excuse, for knowing very little.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know that about your dad! Well, yeah, I guess I can understand why she didn't like to talk about it. Still, not knowing your own race! What do you know about Alfheim?"

"Um, that it's where the fairies live. And there is a big tree in the middle, called the world tree. And all fairies have a mark on their neck, with their races symbol? And not much else. What race are you?"

Yuki's eyes widened. "Oh, wow. Um, I'm an Imp, as you can see by the wings." Yui hadn't really paid attention before, but on a closer look, Yuki's wings were different from hers indeed. Black and transparent looking, they resembled a bats greatly.

"Huh, do Imps wings look like bats?"

"Yeah, they're, I guess, known for that. And you know, well I guess you might not, actually, we're able to maintain some flight underground. Fairies usually require at least a little sun or moonlight to fly. And we can see in the dark, though Spriggans are a little better, I think."

Well, actually, Yui was kind of good at seeing in the dark. Scratch that, extremely good. It was excellent for pulling a prank on her mom, though she was banned from that now. She had nearly given her mother a heart attack by, after watching a horror movie with her and stalking her around in the darkness, looking for an opportunity to strike, jumping out at her with a little shriek. She had gotten into so much trouble, and was banned from using her 'sight' to scare her mom ever again.

"So, only some races can see in the dark?" Yui had thought that was just an Alfheim thing.

"Do you know anything? Do you even know anything about your own powers?"

"Um, only the things I've found out on my own. Which isn't a lot."

"We've got a lot to talk about, don't we? Anyways, we can do that later. Do you think your mom will let you go to school in Alfheim?"

Yui frowned, and shook her head. "Honestly, not really. Maybe if I beg enough. Even then it's still unlikely." She didn't even know if she could. Were there birth certificates in Alfheim? At human school, certain documents were needed to attend. Was it easy to get documentation in Alfheim? It seemed unlikely.

"Please try anyways, Yui. This could be our only chance!"

Yui sighed. "I'll try. It probably won't be easy, though."

"As long as you try! Hey, why did you come back, anyway?"

"Oh, here! I meant to hand you your present earlier, but I guess I got distracted."

"Oh, thanks! I forgot, too."

Taking off the ribbon, and carefully setting it to the side, as if it were super fine material, Yuki opened her present.

"Oh, Yui! Please tell me you didn't spend a lot on it!"

A beautiful necklace, in the shape of a butterfly, sat inside. Purple being the main color, it was beautifully designed, looking like a stained glass window instead of a necklace.

It hadn't cost that much, though probably more than Yuki was used to.

"Nah, it's not much, but it's something you can wear any time you want. I hope you like it."

"Of course I do, it's beautiful! Are you sure you didn't spend too much on it?"

Yui ignored her. "Here, let me put it on you."

Yuki carefully gathered her hair in a ponytail, and let Yui put it on her. She lightly touched it, as if it was extremely breakable.

"Its so beautiful, I just can't believe it! Are you sure it's mine?"

"Of course, Yuki, it's yours. Mom and I bought it for you. So you better wear it."

Yuki nodded, enthusiastically. "I'll never take it off."

"Yui? Your mothers wondering where you are." Yui jumped when Ami's voice appeared.

Yui looked at her friend, speaking something with her eyes. "Oh, yeah. I'll be right down. Anyways goodbye for tonight. We'll talk later." They would definitely talk, alright.

Yuki picked up on what Yui was saying. "Yeah, how about Wednesday? Doesn't your mom work then? Ami could drop me off. Don't you have a babysitter, too?"

"Yeah, but she usually just leaves me alone, as long as I stay in the house. We should have a long time to talk with each other, without her interrupting." Yui hinted.

"Can I go, Ami?"

"If Yui's mom allows it, I don't see why not. Just be well behaved."

"Yay! Bye Yui, I'll see you later!"

"See ya!"

Ami walked Yui down to her mom, thanking her for coming today.

"It meant a lot to her, and your friendship."

Yui smiled. "I'm glad to have Yuki as my friend, too."

"Yuki is very shy, and she doesn't have the nicest backstory, so she isn't as able to make friends as she should. Your friendship means a lot to her. I know I probably shouldn't say this, but I'm worried she'll get hurt. Promise me you'll always give her the benefit of the doubt. I know that friends argue sometimes, but I want you to try to make up if you do. I don't want her to be alone anymore."

Yui was shocked at Ami's words, but at the same time, touched on Yuki's behalf. "Don't worry, I'm easily forgiving, like my mom. There isn't much that could make me dislike someone. I'll always be Yuki's friend."

"Then I'm glad she has you."

Yui saw her mom at the doorway, waiting patiently.

"Sorry it took so long, I just got distracted."

"That's fine, honey. I'm glad you had a good time."

"Yuki was gonna come over on Wednesday, when you're at work. Can she?"

Asuna looked at Ami. "Is she allowed to?"

Yui looked outside, at the stars, as her mother and Ami discussed this Wednesday. Stuff like 'any allergies I should know about?' 'none', and other things were talked about. Yui paid minimal attention.

"Okay, Yui," her moms voice broke her out of her thoughts, "Yuki will be coming over this Wednesday, as long as you're both well behaved. I'll talk to Seira about watching you both. If she agrees, then Yuki will stay for a few hours. That sound alright?"

"Yeah, thanks." Two more days until she could talk to Yuki. She would have to last until then.

Asuna and her left soon after, in a hurry to get home, as it was quite late. On the drive back, Yui laid down in the backseat. She always enjoyed the feeling of the car in motion, and sometimes it made her feel sleepy.

Yawning, when they got home, Yui knew it wouldn't be too long till she fell asleep.

"Sounds like it's time for you to go to sleep. Go brush your teeth, and go to bed." Her mother gently guided her upstairs.

Tiredly stumbling to her room, Yui grabbed her favorite stuffed animal and cuddled up with it. She fell quickly into an easy sleep.

~RTA,TPWMTD~

Monday and Tuesday passed by slowly, as if it knew she was impatient. She wondered if she should tell Yuki the truth, about being part human. They had decided to wait until after they had gotten a chance to talk to tell their parent/guardian about everything.

"Ugh!" Yui groaned, when school on Wednesday finally ended.

"That was the longest two days of my life." Yuki agreed.

They had both understood that discussing things at school was too risky. Sure if anybody heard them they would most likely think they were playing a game. But why take that risk? No, it was better to wait until they were alone. Or as close to alone as possible. Seira was still watching over them, but at least at home it was just one person to worry about.

"Ami is still bringing you over, right?" Yui checked.

Yuki rolled her eyes. "She wouldn't even dream of canceling. She's just really glad I finally have a friend."

Yui thought about the promise she had made to Ami. She wouldn't tell Yuki about it, but she wished Yuki knew how much Ami cared for her. It reminded her of her own mom. Her mother had always been worried about her lack of friends, trying to set her up with her coworkers kids occasionally, and was very thrilled when she had told her about Yuki. She wondered what her mother would think about Yuki being a fairy. Sure she had fallen in love with, and even had a kid with, a fairy, but she hardly ever spoke about Alfheim or her father. What if her mother wouldn't let her have Yuki as a friend anymore, to keep knowledge about Alfheim from her? What if, now that her father was gone, she hated Alfheim and anything to do with it?

Heading to the parking lot, Yui saw her mother standing by her car. She was wearing a light pink shirt, and a white skirt, with her hair in her usual half-braided style. Even though her mom always told her so, Yui thought she would never look as beautiful as her mother. It was an impossibility.

"I'll see you later, Yuki." Yui waved over her shoulder, rushing over to her mom. The sooner they got home, and her mother off to work, the sooner Yuki and her could have their discussion.

"Bye!" Her friend said, turning to go to her own guardian.

Yui's mother noted she seemed very impatient on the ride home. She told her not to be annoying to Seira, or Yuki might not be able to come over next time.

"I'll be fine," Yui rushed up the stairs, to put away anything she didn't want her friend to see. Her stuffed animal, Leonidas the lion, was all dirty and torn apart from the years of use. That, and any other embarrassing item, would have to go away.

Finally deciding it looked presentable, Yui went downstairs to say goodbye to her mom. Her mother was writing something on a notepad, a list of some sorts.

"It's for Seira, in case she needs to contact Ami. Do you think I should add anything else?"

Yui looked at the note, and nearly rolled her eyes. She swore her mother wrote a biography about Yuki and her, instead of a few helpful notes. Any longer and Seira would still be reading it this coming Monday.

"It's fine mom, you don't need to tell her about the time I tripped when I was three. I'm sure she can handle it." Seira was more of an older sister, or cool aunt figure, but she knew how to take care of Yui. She would be fine.

"Okay, well it's here if she needs it. Tell her to call me or Ami if she needs anything."

Finally, when Seira arrived, after a fierce hug from her mom, she was off.

"Seira, here's the note mom left you." Pointing to the fridge, she directed her babysitter to it.

"Ah, another list from Asuna." She smiled fondly. Yui thought Seira might have only skimmed the list. She didn't blame her.

Announcing that she was going upstairs, Yui went to her room, wanting to make sure, again, that everything looked good and semi-mature.

The doorbell rang, startling Yui from her organization, and she practically flew downstairs, to the door.

"Wait a second!" Seira said. "Let me look through the peephole first. You never know who's out there."

Seira flicked her red hair, several shades darker than Asuna's chestnut locks, before peering through the whole in the door. Satisfied that it wasn't a murderer, or a vampire, or whoever she thought it might be, she opened the door.

Ami and Yuki stood on the other side, looking around at the outside of the house, curiously. Ami and her had coats on, it being winter weather, Yuki's purple and Ami's blue. They appeared fully dressed for winter, with fluffy earmuffs, gloves, and a scarf.

"Hey, you must be Ami!" Seira smiled warmly. "Come on in for a minute, I know it's cold out."

"Well, just for a second. I have to go back for the other kids."

Yuki hesitantly walked inside, looking around the house. It was decent looking, though not very big, and it had a very welcoming feel.

"Hi, Yui." She said, acting shy.

Yui tried to make her feel more at home. She pulled her in for a hug.

"Hey! Mom made a snack for us, I don't know if you ate before you left. Do you want any?"

"Yeah, thanks. We ate some at, you know, my place, but it's not very filling or appetizing, it's just the basics." Yuki looked embarrassed by her words.

"That's fine, lets go to the kitchen."

"I'll have to leave now, girls. Be nice to Seira, alright?" Ami asked them.

"We will! Be safe." Yuki hugged her. Quietly, so no one else could hear, she told her. "Thanks for today. Get home safely, okay? I love you, Ami."

Ami smiled and hugged her back. "You be safe, too. I love you as well." She whispered.

After she left, Yui showed her friend the kitchen.

"What's this?" Yuki pointed to the note Asuna had written.

"Oh, that's just the novel, I mean care instructions mom wrote Seira."

"Oh, wow. Did Seira actually read all that? Wait a second, how did your mom even find out that much about me?"

"Mama knows." Yui said sagely, before bursting out laughing.

Yuki giggled with her.

Opening the fridge, Yui grabbed out the tupperware container holding the small snack her mother had prepared for them.

"Hold on a sec," Yui said, "I'm gonna grab a knife for a second." Seeing one of the strawberries wasn't quite cut, Yui pulled it out and set it on the cutting board.

"I'll just- OW!" Yui had gone to cut the berry, but the doorbell had rung suddenly, scarring her. The knife slipped and cut across her palm instead. Blood flowed from the wound, making it look worse than it actually was.

"Girls, what's going on in there?" Seira asked in concern.

"It's nothing! Who's at the door?" Yui frantically turned on the sink, hissing when the water hit her wound.

She heard the door open, then Seira and some other woman's voice talk. Turning the sink off, she grabbed a paper towel with her undamaged hand and blotted at the blood.

"Hey, it was just- Yui! What happened! Oh, my god, we've got to go to the hospital right know, you need stitches!" Seira fluttered her hands, clearly panicking.

"I'm fine. Don't worry, it looks worse than it actually is." Yui tried to calm her.

Seira ignored her. "Let me see your hand, then I'll decide if you need to go to the hospital or not."

Yui pulled her hand away from her. "It's fine!"

"Yui, let me see." Seira said, sternly.

Yui speed-walked from the kitchen to the stairs. "If I really needed stitches, do you think I would be talking this calmly? Let me get the first aid kit, then you can look at it."

Yuki ran up with her, looking back at the babysitter. Traveling to the bathroom, Yui grabbed the kit from the small shelf.

"Hold on a second I want to try something. I don't want to get dragged to the hospital." Closing her eyes, Yui concentrated on her hand. Trying to recall the feeling she got when she used her wings, she forced it to her palm. A dark glow appeared. She struggled to maintain it, it kept on flickering out. She continued for a few minutes, and though she did nothing to over exert herself, for some reason she felt out of breath.

"Did you heal yourself?!" Yuki asked, shocked.

Yui rinsed her hand in the sink. The water turned a pink color before going down the drain. Turning it back to Yuki, she saw it had only halfway healed. It was still bleeding, but it looked a lot less violent, a little worse than a paper cut. Nothing to go to the emergency room over.

"Can only some races heal things?" Yui wondered, curious.

"Well, most can use rudimentary healing spells, but only some are, you know, designed for it. Their spells are a lot more pin-pointed and more affective. The thing you did isn't really that impressive, I don't think, for someone whose lived in Alfheim all their lives. But your mom never even taught you anything, right?"

"No, never, she doesn't like to talk about anything to do with Alfheim, I can tell it makes her sad, it reminds her of dad. She can't hardly stand talking about it. Whenever she has to, it's like I can see some wall in her eyes. I don't know what happened, but I can tell it left her devastated."

"YUI! THATS IT! I'm coming upstairs right now!" Seira had clearly gotten impatient, her footsteps were loud.

Yui grabbed some neosporin from the first aid kit, applying it to a band-aid. Seira burst into the bathroom, looking as if she expected Yui's body to be there, instead of her being perfectly fine, and putting on disinfectant.

"Let me see." Seira said, sternly. Carefully grabbing Yui's injured hand, she examined it. Yui was actually glad her spell hadn't been that effective, otherwise she couldn't explain how her hand had healed so quickly.

Scrutinizing her wound, she saw the injury was not that deep, and the bleeding was quite simple to deal with, only needing a bandage.

Seira breathed out. "Okay, you nearly gave me a heart attack. It definitely doesn't need the emergency room. Maybe I should call Asuna though..."

Yui shook her head viciously. "No,no. Mama doesn't need to know right away, after all, I don't need stitches or anything more than what's in the first aid kit. Calling her will just worry her for no reason. I'm fine, I'll still be fine in a few hours once she gets home."

Seira frowned. "No more knifes, got it?"

Yui smiled. "Understood."

"Either of you."

"Don't worry," Yuki reassured her, "I'm not that hungry now, anyways."

"Anyways," Yui interjected, "I want to show you my room. Follow me."

Pulling Yuki with her un-bandaged hand, the went down the hall, stopping in front of a white door with black and 'fairy' pink butterflies on it. The black for her, one of her favorite colors, and the pink for her mom, her mothers favorite color. The door had a pink sign on it - she had wanted black originally, but every time she had shown a preference for that color her mother seemed sad - with a typical phrase.

Suddenly nervous, which was out of character for her, Yui opened the door to her room. The room had white walls, with the same black butterflies as her door, and seemed a mix of darker colors and the occasional out of place pink and white. Her mother had tried to shove the two color schemes together, as best as she could, and it only clashed a little bit. Her bedspread was the same white and pink color her mother preferred, but the lighter weight blanket on top was a dark gray.

"Wow," Yuki said, "it's really cute! Of course imps prefer purple, but this is really nice! Better than my room, at least."

"Imps prefer purple?" Yui kept her voice down, in case Seira decided to check on them.

"Yeah. Spriggans - you know, your race - usually prefer darker colors."

"Hmm." Is that why her mother always seemed upset when she wanted something in black? Was it her dads favorite color?

Yuki explored the room, looking for permission before going through anything. She had looked fascinated with Yui's snow globe collection, shaking them lightly, careful not to drop them.

"When did you start collecting? Was it your moms first? They're all so beautiful and amazing. It's like a tiny world inside!"

Yui smiled, fondly thinking back. "Well, the first one I ever saw was actually my grandmothers, on my moms side. It was pretty much what you think of when you hear the words 'snow globe'. A red base, 'snowflakes' inside, and a ballerina in a pink tutu, whom the 'snow' danced around. I always thought it was beautiful, though it was a little dirty, she must have got it when she was a little girl, and I would just shake it up and stare at it. It was one of my favorite 'toys', you know, not barbie or anything like that. Anyways, one day my mother and I were looking through a store, it was disney based, and I found this tiny Tinkerbell snow globe, about the size of my palm. I begged my mom to get it for me, I wanted one of my own, not just grandmothers, but she acted reluctant to get it. I didn't understand about money at the time, or that we were poor. To me, the water or power going off, or mother and I going without a meal was normal. I thought she was just being, I don't know, mean? I remember I threw a temper tantrum in the store, god, I feel horrible now, and I remember how crushed mom looked, eventually she bought me something else, something a little cheaper. I did whine for a few more days, but eventually I forgot about it. My birthday was coming up, and I remember mom wasn't eating a lot, I know now she was trying to save up money, and when it came time to open the presents, the first few ones were pretty simple and cheap. I didn't care about that, I didn't really have the concept of money, and I actually liked them, they were easy to play with and cute."

Yui smiled down at the globes. "And finally, she handed me a box, and told me to be careful and that it was breakable. I never really had anything that was made of glass, so I was curious. I ripped the wrapping off it, I didn't really care about preserving it, and there was that, you know, typical style box glass stuff always comes in. I opened it up, and there was that tissue paper stuff inside and my mom grabbed it from me then, cause I was about to just yank it out. She told me to be careful and unwrapped the rest for me. Well, it obviously was the Tinkerbell snow globe I had wanted, and I was so proud of it. I didn't know at the time what my mom must of sacrificed for it. Mom kept telling me to be careful, but I couldn't stop shaking it and seeing the snow and glitter move in it. I must have been fascinated for months with it, I don't know why, but it was one of my favorite things to play with."

Yuki smiled at her story. "That's nice, I've never really had anything I liked enough to collect before. I tried with keychains, but I think I got like, maybe three, before I stopped. So your grandmother is the one who started your interest? What's she like?"

"Oh, I've never met her before, actually, I don't even know if she's alive. For as much as I don't know about my dad or his side of the family, I know even less about my moms side. She never talks about them, but she had told me something the other day, and I think I can understand why. Anyways, after that, I got more interested in snow globes, so mom bought me more, though most were cheaper in comparison. So, I have this mini collection now."

Yuki looked happy. "Well, even if it's not because of your grandmother, I think it's nice."

Yui hesitated. "Hey, Yuki? Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Why do... Um, why do you always seem happy when I talk about my mother, or things like that? I thought it might make you upset, and remind you about, you know, your parents, and just your situation, but you always seem so happy when mom does something nice for me. I hope I didn't offend you."

"Mmm, I don't know, I guess It's just that, I wish I had a normal family, that I had a normal life and normal friends. You know, the typical, mom and dad, and maybe a sibling. And my mom would be like your mom, always worried about me, wanting me to be happy. And even though I don't have that, I don't know, it just makes me happy to see someone else with it. I think people can react in different ways, someone else might be bitter, or sad, and then another might be happy for other people that have what they want. Even if it makes me a little sad to see you with your mom, I feel so incredibly happy for you."

Yui sniffled, which surprised her. She hadn't realized she was crying.

"Did I upset you? Did I make you weirded out by me? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so- so-"

Yui interrupted her with a hug. "No, you just made me realize you're a good friend, that's all. You were one of the only people who I bothered to get close to, and then I found out you were a fairy, too, which means I can be honest with you, something I could never do before with any of my friends. But, I never realized how much I love being friends with you, besides the fact you're one of the only people I can tell the truth to."

Yuki and her hugged for awhile, and she vowed to never lose her friend, not just because of her promise to Ami, but because she cared about her.

"Hey, Yui?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you tell me something as well? You don't have to if you don't want to. I'm just curious." Yuki kicked her feet awkwardly.

"What is it?"

"Well, it's kind of similar to the question you asked me. I'm just wondering, do you... feel sad about your dad? I'm just curious, because you never seem, I don't know, that upset when you talk about him, so I guess I just wonder, what do you feel about him? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Yui grimaced and said, "Yuki? I'm sorry for before, but I lied about him being dead. I just can't talk more about him leaving, not because I don't trust you, but because it's my moms secret to tell, and I can't betray her trust, okay? What I can tell you is that, as far as I know, he's not dead, and he chose to leave me and mom on his own free will."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know! You don't have to answer."

"No, I will, just give me a while."

Yui thought for a second, before saying. "Well... I guess, it's like, there are a few different ways I think people would react in my shoes. They could hate him, or be angry, and I could understand that. He hurt my mom, and left her all alone with me, with no help, financially, physically, or mentally, for what appears for no reason. I can see being angry, it's understandable. Then, others might be just sad. For all the reasons I listed above, it could just as easily make them sad rather than angry. They might cry, or get upset, and I can see that as well. And after that, I think they would react in a few ways. The first option, they would hate him, and want nothing to do with him, and would try not to be like him. They might either, reject anything to do with Alfheim, or embrace it wholeheartedly, and maybe want to confront him, either right away, or after they had gotten strong, and, I don't know, show off, maybe? Probably after gaining enough to be impressive. The second option, they might actually love him, and want to earn his affection. After that it would pretty much be like the first, only instead of just trying to impress him they want his love instead. That's how I can picture most people reacting to this situation."

"But... I don't know, I don't really fit in any of those scenarios, I don't hate him, I don't know the real reason he had to leave, mom doesn't talk about it, so for all I know he had a good reason, maybe he left to protect us. Sometimes, when I see my mom struggle, I feel angry, but as a whole, I'm not angry. And sometimes, when either mom can't explain anything thing about myself to me, or when I see another girl at school with her dad, I feel sad, and wish he were here. But, that feeling never lasts long. Sure, I want to know more about myself, and him, and it would be nice to have a dad who is protective of me, but I love my mom more than anyone else in this world, and I'm fine with just having her." Yui realized she was blabbering.

"Sorry, I guess I said too much. Just...one more thing. Sometimes, I feel the need to impress him, not because I want him to love me, but because I want my mom to be able to say 'This is who I raised when you were gone', and I want him to regret leaving her for her sake." Yui hadn't realized that last part was true until she said it.

"I hope she gets a chance to say that, someday." Yuki looked a bit stunned at Yui's words, but mostly she looked concerned for her friend.

"Thanks. Do you want to have that snack mom made for us?"

"Sure."

They walked downstairs, to the kitchen in silence, but it was a nice silence, the kind you could only have with certain people.

~RTA,TPWMTD~

"Oh, my god, Seira might be the worst singer I've ever heard!" Yuki was in tears, laughing at the babysitters horrible rendition of a popular song.

After they had finished the meal, they decided to sing karaoke. Yui had picked it because it was Seira's favorite, and she felt the need to get on her good side, before she spoke to her mom.

"God, she's hurting my ears!" Yui complained, laughing so hard her stomach hurt.

"Yeah...~" Seira finished her song. "I think I got the high score!"

"No." Yui said simply, not even considering that statement.

Seira laughed at her. "Enough singing for tonight?"

"I think we've had enough. I don't think our ears could handle more."

"Ami should be picking up Yuki soon, right? Go do anything you need to before she comes."

"Want me to show you my collection some more? We didn't really get a chance to look at it." Yui looked at Yuki, signaling something with her eyes.

"Sure." Yuki agreed readily, curious about what Yui wanted to tell her.

Going to her room, Yui walked over to her snow globes. Yuki thought she was going to say something else, but she actually began telling her about her collection.

"This is one we got from when we traveled for moms job. It always reminds me of summer."

Yuki looked inside and saw a tiny sunny paradise. It was of a beach, and it gave the exact impression of the perfect summer day.

"I can see what you mean." Yuki began, before noticing Yui was looking at her door instead.

Yui leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I forgot to tell you something. My mom and I were talking, and she told me about how she met my dad. Apparently, she was in the human world, when she stumbled across a portal to Alfheim, she fell in and met my dad from where the portal took her."

Yui explained some more about what her mother told her.

Yuki's eyes widened. "A fairy circle! I never thought of that! Ami's never told me how you get there!"

"Shh!" Yui quieted her. "Do you think one is near by? Mom said most are normal, unless a fairy is near one. Maybe we can sneak out and visit Alfheim."

"Oh, we have to find one Yui! We just have to!" She said in an excited whisper.

Yui went over to her door, and peered out. Seira was watching the TV.

"Maybe..." She said, before sighing, "no, we don't have enough time tonight, maybe tomorrow. Let's find one and see! I've been dying to see Alfheim since the picture mama showed me!"

Yuki nodded. "Yes, tomorrow! Let's stick together if we actually manage to get there, though."

Yui hugged her. "Yuki? Promise me if we ever go to Alfheim, you'll still be my best friend. I don't want to lose anyone else to Alfheim. So, promise?"

"Of course you won't lose me! You're the only one who wanted to be friends with the girl from the orphanage, even before you discovered I was a fairy like you! I'll never forget that! Promise me, you'll stick with me, even if you meet someone who knows more about Alfheim than me? I don't want to lose you either."

Yui felt horrible that Yuki thought she was just using her for information. "Of course that's not why I'm your friend! I hope you don't think I'm just friends with you because you're the only one I've met that's like me. I liked you before that. Of course I'll always be your friend. Even in Alfheim."

Yuki smiled. "I didn't really think that, I was just worried. Don't worry. So it's agreed? Best friends forever?"

"Forever!" Yui promised.

They hugged once more.

~RTA,TPWMTD~


End file.
